Vikings running back Alexander Mattison has been named everything from an intriguing project player to a sleeper pick for the 2020 season.
However, that was with the context that Dalvin Cook would hold out until he receives a reasonable deal. Cook holding out into the regular season would have hypothetically made Mattison an enticing draft pick.
Now, Pro Football Focus says stay away. The outlet listed Mattison as a Vikings player with the lowest value relative to their current average draft position (ADP). Here’s what the outlet said about Mattison:
“The potential holdout of starting running back Dalvin Cook has surely raised Mattison’s stock, but it shouldn’t — Cook was clearly one of the best backs in football in 2019, and he received a workload worthy of an RB1. Mattison’s 100 rushing attempts ranked second on the team, doubling up on Mike Boone’s 49 attempts. The main issue for Mattison is the lack of receiving upside, as he registered only 11 targets in 2019 and actually saw eight fewer targets than Ameer Abdullah. Barring any injury, Mattison’s value likely won’t increase by much in 2020, though he does offer a very nice option as a handcuff to Cook.”
Cook reportedly showed up on time for the reporting/testing window this week. Assuming he is in the Vikings backfield Week 1, I think Mattison probably wouldn’t be the greatest fantasy football pick.